Russian T34 Tank. Rubber track pads?

[Needle]

Were rubber track pads ever created for the T34 tank tracks.
If so, were they just bolted on where the ice cleats would normally be fitted?

Anyone ever fitted rubber track pads to the track on a T34 tank?

If yes, where did you get the rubber pads? Does anyone still make them.

Just "visualizing" how to reduce road damage from the current tracks fitted to a T34/85.

Thanks for any assistance.

 

[Varyag]

People have swapped the sprockets from a t55 onto t34s and I know that there is track that uses track pads for the t55. I imagine that there isn't much rubber out thre for those funny center guide driven track they wrapped the t34s with.

 

[BiffJ]

I've never seen or heard of rubber track pads for the 34. I'm guessing its possible to swap the T55 rubber setup but looking at the 2 I don't know how you'd do it. You would need not only the drive sprockets in the rear but the idlers in the front as well and looking at them makes me thing the diameter of the axles is different and would need to be changed too. I've never taken either off either a T34 or the T55 so I can't tell you conclusively but just eyeballing the 2 sitting here in the Barn makes me think that.
One last detail is that the rubber track for the T54/55 isn't easy to find and would likely be expensive. I don't know if the T34 roadwheels would work with it either. At some point there should be a set of rubber tracks showing up here for the T54 and I can have a look. Might be a few months so check back....

Frank

 

[seano11]

I may be of help here. My high school friend's father has a huge contract to make rubber tracks for the US and Canadian Military . He might be able to help you. It would be industrial rubber Bathurst New Brunswick look them up and ask to speak with Mr Kyle . That's his last name

 

[Varyag]

the return rollers and road wheels work fine for the t55 track. i am just not sure how much you have to do to the final drives to swap the sprockets out. I am also not sure if the track pin return would have to be ground off or not either.

 

[redthegreendog]

I looked at a T55 and M60 Patton side by side. It looks like the tracks from the M60 would fit the T55. The tracks on the M88 is the same as the M60.

Also track busting is hot work. lol

 

[redthegreendog]

T55 tracks.

 

[BiffJ]

As far as I know and can see from the T55 and the T34 sitting in the barn the track pins are pretty much the same on the rubber track. The track we are getting is for a T54 and is the early type dead track rather than the live track the T55 has on it. The dead track on the 54 uses pins just like the 34 and has a track pin plate on the hull as well. The width of the 54/55 and 34 tracks are pretty close.

Frank

 

[Needle]

The tracks on the M88 is the same as the M60.

And the chevron track on the M88 looks just like the track on the Sherman. I have a spare set in the workshop, but they aren't in much better condition that the set already on the tank. I dont have a full 166 sections that I will need to do the much needed track change on the Sherman. I wonder where I can get some more sections.

 

[Needle]

Frank and Dave,

Is the track you currently have on the T34 made up of 2 different types of section, with one type of section larger than the other, and the smaller one has a hole at either end to allow for bolting on the ice cleat?

The way it is currently set up, with enough bolt on ice cleats, they would be attached to every other section of track. That is where I was hoping to bolt on track pads, if they were already an available item somewhere out there in the market place. The T55 track looks like all the sections are the same size.

Thanks again for all the info. It makes me want to put aside all the other projects that I am supposed to be working on first (Sherman, DUKW, M915s, M816, M35, Jeeps, aircraft tugs, forklifts, aircraft, etc) and get to work on the T34 straight away. However, for now, I think I will just have to satisfy myself with running the engine a few times a month until I can truely get down to full time restoration/cosmetic work.

 

[swiss]

I looked at a T55 and M60 Patton side by side. It looks like the tracks from the M60 would fit the T55. The tracks on the M88 is the same as the M60.

Also track busting is hot work. lol

It is always nice to have a couple of tanks sitting around the yard to be able to reference

 

[BiffJ]

The T34 has 2 different types of track plate. One has the "dragons tooth" guide that keeps the track from slipping off the wheels and gives the drive sprocket something to push on. The other is a flat plate and yes they have the holes for the cleats. The track is a waffle pattern and a bit hollowed out on the outside so you could feasibly make some sort of rubber blocks to fit in every other track section. You may be able to drill holes in the other plates to put rubber blocks in them as well. I'm not sure how well it would work though.....I have heard of someone who put rubber blocks on their BMP but it was time consuming and expensive and turned out to be worth it only because english regs made life a bit easier.
The T54/55/62 track links are all the same and linked together like the T34 with pins. The late T55 track is actually T72 track and is live track meaning that there is a rubber bushing cast into the joint and the track links are bolted together rather than pinned. They are all the same as well. I've never seen rubber pads on the T55/72 track but have seen some on the earlier 54/55/62 type track and that is what is supposed to be coming in.

One more thing to remember is that even if you could pop a set of M60 tracks on the vehicle the spacing on the drive teeth is important. The M60, T55 and most of the other tanks use the edges of the track to drive it. Some have sprockets that fit through slots in the edge of the track and others use the connecting links on the track to drive. The T34 drives the teeth in the middle of the track using a drive sprocket that has 5 or 6 rollers pinned into the rear drive wheel. The spacing on the drive teeth of the track is very important and I would think the shape of the tooth is as well. The T34 teeth are rounded somewhat where some vehicles use straight sided teeth. The T34 had a tooth only on every other track plate where the rest have one on each plate. That could definitely screw things up.....

Hope that helps

Frank

 

[blueleadermark]

I own a T-55a and one of the first things I did when it arrived was swap out the T-72 track (upgrade) that came on it with British Chieftain track which has rubber pads. You have to change out the sprockets as well due to the different pitch and the fact that different tracks engage the sprockets in different locations (you can't just switch the track). This required a set of Chieftain sprockets with the mounting points cut off and a ring matching the bolt pattern of the T-55 drive sprocket welded to it. For my tank it also meant cutting back the inboard grousers to avoid contact with the hull. One plus to a set of Chieftain track is that it is a bigger tank and so a set will give you quite a bit of extra track. I bought mine at the same time as the T-55 so I put it on the rear deck and shipped them together for free. As the set weighs about 4 tons it is pretty expensive to ship if you have to get them from England.